The Freaks Who Rule New York

From a masked artist to a Broadway pioneer, these are the one-of-a-kind creative forces shaping the culture today.

The Interior Design Freak

Ricky Clifton

Artist, interior designer and writer, 71; Gramercy Park, Manhattan

Why New York: “When I met Andy Warhol in Dallas [in high school], I told him I was moving to the city. He said, ‘When you get there, call me.’ Every time I called the Factory, he’d pick up the phone. He was old-school like that. Artists were like Jewish mothers — there was a community.”

Freakiest gig: “I’ve been driving since I was 11, so when I moved to New York in 1975, I drove delivery trucks for florists. I worked for Tony DiPace, who had a place below Halston’s [studio]. I put up Lauren Bacall’s Christmas tree.”

Favorite freak: “I don’t know why Lady Bunny isn’t really famous. She’s better than RuPaul. She should have her own TV show.”

The Masked Freak

Narcissister

Artist, 53; Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

Origin story: “As a child I was seeing images in the world that were kind of surreal. For example, I remember saying to my mother that I could see my Girl Scouts leader’s face in the shape of my fingernail. A lot of my house in Southern California had wood paneling, and I’d see what looked like vulvas in the grain.”

Signature look: “When I started the Narcissister project around 2006, I knew I wanted to wear a mask and a merkin. I had been working as a window display designer when I took my mask from a wig display form. I cut holes in it to see and breathe.”

Inspiration: “Klaus Nomi. I was part of a project that Visual AIDS did where a group walked around to the residences of artists in New York who’d died from [complications related to] AIDS. I was asked to say something at Nomi’s residence on St. Marks Place, so I read some of his lyrics. He was such an original in the way he presented himself and the astounding virtuosity of his voice.”

The Broadway Freak

Cole Escola

Writer and performer, 38; Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

Temperament: “I’ve become more of a recluse now that I’m on Broadway [in ‘Oh, Mary!’]. I’m so commercial. I’ll go back to the shadows after this, I’m sure. I miss feeling spiteful, that ‘I’ll show you’ feeling.”

Vocal stylings: “Before I started doing ‘Our Hit Parade’ at Joe’s Pub [in 2009] — with Erin Markey and Bridget Everett and those freaks — I was trying to fit into a cabaret space, doing a straightforward evening of song. Most people are pretty boring when they sing, myself included, because they’re preoccupied with sounding good. There’s a very small niche of people who can sing and tell a story at the same time, like Bridget, Justin Vivian Bond ... the Mabel Mercer types: They need the song in order to tell the story.”

What makes a New York freak: “Longevity. It takes a lot to stay in New York. The city separates the freaks from the wannabes. [The ones who don’t make it] move upstate to Hudson. Which, you know, I’ll see you there. I’m not sneezing at it.”

Freak City

New York has always attracted the most out-there artists. Here, T looks at the singularly strange talents who’ve built a metropolis unlike any other. Plus:

- Why New York has long been the freakiest place to be.

- Julia Fox’s advice on how to be a freak today.

- Cole Escola, Princess Nokia and more share their favorite freaky artworks and city spots.

- How New York Fashion Week came to outfreak Paris and Milan.

The E-Commerce Freak

Fey Fey

Fashion retailer, 29; Ridgewood, Queens

Origin story: “When I was in high school in Chengdu, China, I started reading everything by the [20th-century] French philosopher Georges Bataille. He was superintellectual but, on the other hand, he also wrote a lot of porn. I came to understand how someone [can develop] two sides of themselves. I really like ambiguity and uncertainty in a person; that’s freakiness to me.”

Freak science: “I believe in the law of double negatives being positive: If you’re weird to an extreme, you’re good. And in New York, everyone’s kind of a freak, living in their own world, and they don’t really care about other people’s freakiness. It makes me feel safe.”

The Photography Freak

Richie Shazam

Photographer and model, 34; Harlem, Manhattan

Signature look: “I’m drawn to comfort, so I love a baggier silhouette. But when it’s time to get ready, I can turn out a quickie beat: a strong, smoky eye; a sexy overlined lip. I do the full transformation quickly.”

Inspiration: “I had a full-circle moment recently when I shot Amanda Lepore for the cover of Gayletter. She’s such a work of art.”

Inner circle: “Definitely my chosen family, like [my housemate] Julia [Fox] and my best friend Briana [Andalore]. I’m lucky that the friends I made in my formative years are still my girls today and we’re constantly evolving. We’re those girls that walk the walk and talk the talk.”

The Acting Freak

Jackie Hoffman

Actress, 64; Chelsea, Manhattan

Origin story: “In school, I was always doing bizarre stuff in class and getting separated from the rest of the students. A very kind gym teacher [in high school in Great Neck, N.Y.] put me in a different room so I wouldn’t be abused for how bad I was at sports. Being bullied was an indicator that I was different.”

Inspiration: “I was a big TV kid. I grew up adoring Jackie Gleason and Carol Burnett. I loved ‘The Addams Family’ (1964-66) and ‘The Munsters’ (1964-66), with Marilyn, who was the beautiful one who thought she was the freak. It was TV that gave me that thing to live for.”

Key accessory: “My glasses come from whatever gig I have that lets me keep them. I have a great yellow pair from playing Mrs. Teavee in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ (2017) on Broadway, and I have my ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (2021-present) glasses. I have a gold cat-eye pair that I bought to lose an Emmy in [for ‘Feud: Bette and Joan,’ 2017] — those I got at [the East Village eyewear store] Fabulous Fanny’s.”

The Party Freak

Gage Spex

Artist, event planner and organizer, 40; Bushwick, Brooklyn

Survival tactic: “I was a really gay kid, playing with dolls, doing ballet. But it was really homophobic when I was growing up [in New England] in the ’90s so, in school, I was like, ‘Well, I’m just the artsy, crazy one’ — which was also true.”

Discipline: “I’ve always been into ancient history and futuristic things: lost cultures, Atlantis. That comes through when I’m creating [party] spaces like the Spectrum and the Dreamhouse. Nightlife is my favorite form of art because it’s interactive: an ephemeral, time-based experience where everyone’s creating it simultaneously.”

Evolution: “When I moved here, I didn’t really understand that hosting parties was a job. I was just getting paid to do looks, make my own clothes and show up. There aren’t as many spaces for people to do that today. The beauty standards are more about no-makeup, normalized aesthetics. But I think people are hungry for more immersive experiences.”

The Rap Freak

Princess Nokia

Rapper and actress, 32; undisclosed neighborhood, Manhattan

Vibe shift: “The younger me was very freaky in the sense of loving bondage wear and shibari rope. Now I listen to Taylor Swift and Mitski. I’m a ‘Gilmore Girls’ fanatic and have a bedtime of 10:30 p.m. The pipeline from goth girl to pumpkin-spice Christian girl is unique: It takes confidence to be basic.”

Signature look: “My day-to-day [style] is balletcore. I color coordinate and have the same ruffled skirt in four colors, and the same leggings in four colors and the same New Balances in four colors.”

Inspiration: “Julia Fox. I got a lot out of reading [her book] ‘Down the Drain’ (2023) and was happy to see an underdog like myself win when the world tried to put her down.”

The Fashion Freak

Edvin Thompson

Fashion designer, 32; Bushwick, Brooklyn

Origin story: “My childhood was very lonesome. I remember going into fabric stores or putting on my mom and dad’s clothes. I didn’t really gain friends until around my freshman year of high school [in Atlanta], when [a group of us] created this collective called Cool Kids Crew for us to celebrate fashion and who we were. We came up with different themes: One week would be punk, then the following would be ’80s. That’s when I got comfortable with being different — with putting on a skirt or a dress or lip gloss. It felt easier to express myself because I had a community around me.”

Inspiration: “I love how [the musician] Ian Isiah plays with personal style. Alton Mason and Anok Yai are two models who are [working] across industries. I think [that’s what] being a freak is about — taking up space, changing norms.”

Why New York: “You’ll find everyone from across the world living here, and it’s a solace. Whether you’re from Turkey or Jamaica, you’ll always see yourself.”

The Costume Freak

Zaldy

Costume designer, 58; Financial District, Manhattan

Style philosophy: “People think that when you look a certain way, you want attention, but it’s personal. It’s never been for anybody else. People react to my long hair all the time and ask, ‘Oh, where do you get it straightened?’ I’m like, ‘It’s my Asian hair.’”

Evolution: “I was a club kid who turned into a runway model, modeling [in the mid-90s] as a lady for Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood. Then I started in costume design, and now I’m this work freak: Recently, I designed for a Cirque du Soleil show and the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, worked with Willy Chavarria on the finale of his collection and did something for [the singer] Reba McEntire. I’ve never felt more comfortable.”

Inspiration: “Cher, who is such a glamour freak. I’m also mesmerized by Grace Jones. I saw her last year and she was, in her 70s, walking up stairs, hula hooping and singing all at the same time.”

The Comedy Freak

Julio Torres

Writer, performer and filmmaker, 37; Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Aversions: “Since childhood, I was this little atheist. I opted out of religion, which was unusual [in El Salvador]. My parents never forced anything on me, which allowed me to be who I am. I don’t have a credit card as a matter of principle; I hope to never have credit. I also don’t like being hosted. I wish people would stop inviting me to their dinners. I like meeting new people, but I don’t like convening around food. I want to be able to come and go as I please.”

Inspiration: “When I met Cole Escola, they were basically paying their rent [by] doing one-person shows at [the West Village gay bar] the Duplex, and that felt like something that no longer existed. There’s something so retro about living a dignified life just off of your talent.”

The Food Freak

Quori Theodor

Artist, 38; Park Slope, Brooklyn

Discipline: “A lot of my work is an investigation and upending of how we engage with food. Once, I did an experiment that took the form of a restaurant on the J train. All the food was portable in nature — hand pies, for example — and the plates were wearable sculptures.”

Why New York: “Density has a lot to do with it. We’re forced to interact so intimately with people who’ve had really different experiences from us.”

Lineage: “My dad was a core member of the [West Coast drug-distribution group] Brotherhood of Eternal Love, and my mom was a wild one. Having parents who’d already negated a dominant culture made it challenging [at first] to negate a dominant culture of my own.”

The Drag Freak

MissMa’amShe

Drag artist, 27; Flushing, Queens

Origin story: “I was supposed to be a Scorpio, but my mother’s cat died and she went into labor, so I’m a Libra. When one supreme falls, another rises. That was the birth of me being a freak — as the reincarnation of the cat.”

Early memory: “I realized I was a freak when I wasn’t watching cartoons or playing sports but coming home and being like, ‘OK, I gotta catch up on “Desperate Housewives.” ’ I was in grade school [in Flushing], and I would wait for my mom and dad to go to bed: I needed to know what was happening with those women.”

Signature look: “I’m drawn to either high-femme editorial or camp. I have a show called Mall Drag in Brooklyn once a month, and I’ve been known to pull a garment from the Family Dollar. I’ll show up in a tube top that I’m wearing as a skirt with the price tag still on.”

The Nightlife Freak

Anna Bolina

Fashion designer, 31; Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

Origin story: “I grew up in sort of a hippie commune [in Humboldt County, Calif.]. I was dirtyish but would wear these lacy dresses and braid my hair. Then I went to public school and realized that everyone else lived very differently. When I was older, I tried to work a nine-to-five job and couldn’t live that life, so I quit and started working as a stripper and hanging out with artists and D.J.s.”

Signature look: “I can blend into the world wearing a T-shirt and sneakers during the day. But at night, I put on my nails, heels, hair extensions and makeup, and I wear supertight clothes that break up my body with asymmetrical lines. Designing started as a survival thing during Covid: I had all these clothes for stripping, and I started cutting them up to look more avant-garde. It’s hardest when I need to dress up but don’t want to be sexy. For family things, I’ll wear a dress that doesn’t show my stomach.”

The Book Freak

Matt Starr

Artist and poet, 35; Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

Why New York: “The city has historically been so open to artists — it’s this bat signal to freaks around the world that you can come here and have a better chance of being yourself. With the book-publishing company I co-founded, Dream Baby Press, we wanted to throw erotic readings in porn shops and the Penn Station Sbarro. We needed the people who run these places to be open to it, and they were.”

Discipline: “I think I give sweet freak. I write erotic, neurotic poetry, and I write about sex in a naïve way. I have this poem about a couple that push each other to pee on a subway together. It’s their way of showing love for each other, and their pee puddles merge and travel down the train.”

Inspiration: “John Waters. Once I went to a performance he was doing and, during the Q&A portion, I asked if we could kiss. He agreed and even wrote about it in one of his books.”

The Performance Art Freak

Ann Liv Young

Performance artist, 43; Bushwick, Brooklyn

Why New York: “My mom came to visit me once and started crying because she was like, ‘I can’t imagine having so much passion for something that I’d live in this building.’ New York’s not a supereasy place right now if you’re an artist or anybody who’s fighting against becoming a banker. But there’s something beautiful about things being so hard.”

Lineage: “My parents are amazing, but my childhood [in Outer Banks, N.C.] was pretty rough. My way to deal with pain or stress was making things. Now I have three kids and most of my time is spent being a mother, but my middle child is often reminding me how weird I am compared to the other parents.”

Memorable work: “I used to play this character Sherry, who would go through the audience and ask how much money everybody made. Then I’d talk about how much money I got paid for doing the show. Then I’d ask the curator, ‘How much money do you make?’ And people would be like, ‘Oh my God, what is this woman doing? This is inappropriate.’ When you grow up in the South, you learn that you don’t talk about money. You don’t talk about sex. You don’t talk about politics unless you agree with the person. So obviously, these were things that weighed on my mind as a kid.”

The Painter Freak

Tabboo!

Artist, 65; East Village, Manhattan

Origin story: “Back in the early ’60s, being left-handed was not a thing, and they would try to correct it: They would hit your hand with a ruler at school. You’d realize that almost everything is made for right-handed people. Being left-handed or being an artist or being gay — just learning how to navigate the world from a different point of view and still succeeding takes a certain kind of effort.”

Glory days: “New York in the early ’80s was like a bombed-out city. It was fun. I moved into the East Village, not even knowing what that was, and it was filled with artists and bohemians and actors and musicians. Nowadays a lot of people come in, go to N.Y.U. for four years and then leave. In my day, downtown was a small world. People died [from complications] of AIDS or drug addiction or couldn’t afford the city, but everyone that stayed stayed. Now ‘downtown’ doesn’t even mean anything. Most artists and gay people are way out in Bushwick or something.”

Domicile: “When I moved here in 1982, for $300 you could get a huge apartment with a big studio, a big living room, plus a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. I’ve had some kids come in and say, ‘I want to live like this when I grow up, Daddy! Can I live like this?’ That’s why I’ve stayed, with all the bright light.”

The Beauty Freak

Sonny Molina

Hairstylist, 29; Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

Origin story: “Growing up in Austin, Texas, as a pastor’s kid, I was always a freethinker. I’d try to find the loopholes that made sense for me to exist within the ministry or within my own family.”

Style philosophy: “I went into this store in SoHo the other day, and the girl was like, ‘Oh, how did you distress your denim?’ I was like, ‘Girl, I don’t have money to buy new clothes, so I make being broke my style.’ I spend money on hair, and that doesn’t leave me with a lot, so my wardrobe is vintage. It falls apart and I just keep wearing it.”

Inner circle: “All my friends are freaks, that’s for sure. The ones who I feel kindred with are Dara Allen, the stylist and model; Martine Gutierrez, a self-portraiture artist; and [the interdisciplinary artist] Fern Cerezo. Our hearts beat for the same things.”

The Music Freak

Alice Longyu Gao

Musician and multidisciplinary artist, age undisclosed; East Village, Manhattan

What makes a New York freak: “It’s about walking really fast and waiting to take the subway with 10 garment bags that are worth more than your life savings. It’s about the art of cold-emailing people, knocking on people’s doors without appointments because you need to leave your résumé on their receptionist’s desk. And it’s also about sitting in your favorite restaurant and talking to your other artistic friends, just looking hot.”

Pain point: “I’ve gotten harassed on the subway. That was scary because I’m really short — 5-foot-2. I’d love to pretend that I’m a tiger all the time, but I don’t know how to throw punches. You feel like you can’t digest the experience. All you can do is swallow.”

Special talent: “I started playing harp a year and a half ago, and now it’s a staple during my show. As much as I want to be excellent, it’s just not going to happen, but my imperfections can make me sound different from other artists.”